Cape Codders woke up to snowfall and high winds from a storm that dropped a few more inches well into the afternoon. But the region was spared the brunt of the storm, with less snow than originally forecast and few power outages.
Public schools in the region were closed for the day, events were canceled and government offices shut down or had delayed openings due to the storm. (More cancellations, delayed openings are here) Wind-whipped snow throughout the morning and into the late afternoon kept many off area roads.
But Kevin Morley, public information officer for the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee, said so far the storm has proved "anticlimactic."
The committee did not activate its emergency shelter network owing to the snow's anticipated light weight, and there are no reports thus far of coastal flooding, he said Wednesday morning.
"It's just a good old little snowstorm," he said.
- Gregory Bryant and Sean F. DriscollHighlights from Times staff snowstorm videos around Cape Cod:

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Town Neck Beach in Sandwich holds (posted 4:10 p.m.)
High tide came and went at 3 p.m. today at Town Neck Beach in Sandwich followed by a huge sigh of relief from the town and coastal homeowners.
"It's amazing how sometimes you can just dodge a bullet," David DeConto, the town's assistant natural resources director said. A wall of sand built by the town before a nor'easter earlier this month continues to stand tall after two winter storms. While the town beaches got plenty of wind, the waves and tide were not as high as anticipated, DeConto said.
With a pounding surf expected to continue for the next couple of days, DeConto said the town is somewhat concerned that the estuary won't fully drain causing further erosion. "There could be a stacking effect," he said.
Meanwhile, 1,200 cubic yards of sand recently added in front of homes on Bay Beach Road and Whitecap Path appears to have withstood this storm as well, Jack Vaccaro, the contractor for the project, said.
"I've been in touch with the homeowners and I'm told it held up fine," Vaccaro said. This storm, however, did not have the astronomical high tides that last February's devastating coastal storm had, he said. "Any time we get through a storm without significant erosion, it's a blessing for these homeowners," he said. "It's not a sustainable situation."
- George Brennan
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The scene in Eastham and Wellfleet (posted 1:30 p.m.)
Road conditions between Eastham to Wellfleet are almost down to pavement, slippery but passable.
Snow was still falling at 1:20 pm. with 6 to 7 inches in Wellfleet. The drifts were to knee depth and the back roads were clear but with drifting snow.
Erosion on east-facing beaches from Eastham to Wellfleet does not appear to be happening now but it's still two hours to high tide. Waves are 5 to 10 feet.
- Doug Fraser
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The scene in Buzzards Bay (posted 12:30 p.m.)
Little else but snowplows plodded down Main Street in Buzzards Bay this morning, as a light flurry kept most cars off the roads.
"It's very quiet, actually," said a Bourne police dispatcher, who declined to give her name. "We haven't had any accidents or anything. For the most part, people are staying off the roads like they're supposed to."
Motorists were driving cautiously over the two Cape Cod Canal bridges. And plows circulated down Main Street and Route 28, keeping the black pavement barely visible beneath a thin, packed layer of snow.
In fact, the only sign of trouble was a Bourne police officer in a neon yellow coat, looking on as a Verizon cable crew worked outside the Bourne Veterans Community Memorial Center. The crew's work, and the officer's detail, had been scheduled in advance, the dispatcher said.
- C. Ryan Barber
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Plymouth & Brockton buses to resume some service (posted 11:45 a.m.)
Late this morning Plymouth & Brockton said its bus service will resume today with Trip 1236: 12:30 p.m. Hyannis - Boston Logan International Airport and Trip 1225: 12:45 p.m. Logan Airport - Hyannis. GATRA service (PAL and SAIL) will resume after 1:00 p.m. Provincetown service will be canceled for today.
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The scene in Chatham, Orleans (posted 12:05 p.m.)
The Chatham harbormaster's recorded 40 mph gusts this morning with 8 inches of snow in Chatham.
There are occasional whiteout and gusty wind conditions in the town. The Chatham harbormaster's office says they don't anticipate problems from this storm because tides are lower than Jan. 2 storm.
Driving along Route 28 between Chatham and Orleans is sloppy. Four-wheel drive is recommended. The back roads in Chatham and Orleans occasionally are covered in drifting snow. But overall the roads are pretty much empty except for plows.
- Doug Fraser

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Nantucket police ask residents to stay off roads, warming center opened (posted 11:15 a.m.)
Moderate snowfall with strong winds are continuing this morning on Nantucket. Road conditions are poor with reduced visibility due to the current conditions, according to the Nantucket police. Residents are asked to stay off of roadways so the Department of Public Works can clear the roads. "If you have to be on the roadways please drive slowly and use caution," police said.
There are currently no reported power outages on Nantucket. Some households did experience a brief outage as a result of a “power bump,” which was caused by the switching of the power cables from the mainland.
The Nantucket High School has been opened as a “Warming Center” in the event that there are any power outages or it is needed for any reason by residents.
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Police: Yarmouth roads remain in poor condition (posted at 11:56 a.m.)
Roads roads and visibility remain poor in Yarmouth, Steven Xiarhos, Yarmouth deputy police chief, said at mid-morning today.
"We are encouraging everyone to stay off the roads until we can clear them, and if they must travel, to make sure to clear the snow from all windows, mirrors and roof tops, wear seat belts, drive with headlights on, and be vigilant for people walking in the roadways," Xiarhos said.
- Christine Legere
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The scene in Mashpee and Falmouth (posted at 11 a.m.)
Plow crews in Mashpee were able to work through the night keeping the main roads clear, said Public Works Director Catherine Laurent. Crews have also been at work on the side streets, but the winds have been causing drifting on those roads, making them more difficult to keep open.
"This last minute burst of wind this morning threw a wrench into the work that had been done, but we should be in pretty good shape by early afternoon," she said. "We were out through the night, which gave us a good head start."
In Falmouth, both town workers and private contractors also worked through the night and continue to clear the streets, said Public Works Director Ray Jack.
"Temperatures are down, but not down that far where we expect extremely slippery conditions," he said.
Some of the town crews will be sent home this morning to allow the drivers to rest before coming back to work later today to continue plowing and treating the roads, Jack said.
- Sean F. Driscoll
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Snowfall depths across the Cape
Forecasts yesterday called for up to 12 inches on the Cape. But Times staffers across the Cape reported these snow depths (some, however, said drifting snow made it impossible to get an accurate measurement):
- Dennis, 5 inches, 5:30 a.m.
- Falmouth, 6 inches, 11:16 a.m.
- Harwich, 4-8 inches, drifting, 8:40 a.m.
- Mashpee, 5 inches, 7:40 a.m.
- Marstons Mills,6.5 inches, 8:30 a.m.
- East Orleans, 7 inches, 8:30
- Provincetown, 6 inches, 7:12 a.m.
- Sandwich, 7 inches, 12:50 p.m.
- Wellfleet, 6 inches, 6:30 a.m.
- Yarmouthport, 5.5 inches, 7:54 a.m.
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Power outages few and far between
The bright spot, at least early this morning, was the absence of power outages on the Cape. NStar's online outage map showed just two customers without electricity in Falmouth and two in Truro as of 9 a.m.
As during the Jan. 2-3 snowstorm, the accompanying frigid temperatures will mean dry and fluffy snow, which will help to keep the power on, regional emergency and NStar officials say.
The temps will be pretty cold today, with highs in the mid 20s and north winds 15 to 25 mph and gusts up to 50 mph, decreasing to 40 mph in the afternoon.
- Gregory Bryant
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The scene in Dennis (Posted 8:25 a.m.)
Dennis roads aren't in bad shape, but it's the wind blowing and drifting the snow that's made it a challenge for DPW workers last night and this morning, according to public works Director David Johansen.
"The problem with dry, fluffy stuff is you can plow it and it blows right back," Johansen said. "But we'll stay out here.It looks like we were the first to get the snow and we'll be the last to see it stop."
One plus is there are no broken tree limbs to contend with, he said.
When contacted this morning, the DPW director said his staff was taking a short break for breakfast after being on the road all night.
"The fact that the schools and town hall are closed allows us to clean up roads more effectively," he said. "People are staying off the road. It's much easier to plow when you don't have to worry about cars."
- Christine Legere
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Area transportation (updated 11:30 a.m.)

Late this morning Plymouth and Brockton said its bus service will resume service today with Trip 1236: 12:30 p.m. Hyannis - Boston Logan International Airport and Trip 1225: 12:45 p.m. Logan Airport - Hyannis. GATRA service (PAL and SAIL) will resume after 1:00 p.m.. Provincetown service will be canceled for today.

The storm has canceled regional air travel and ferry service to and from Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket this morning.

Cape Air canceled flights from last evening through mid-day today, according to the company's website this morning. The airline recommends fliers check for the latest flight information here: www.capeair.com/flying_with_us/flight_status.html

The Steamship Authority advises its customers to check the Authority's website for further updates - www.steamshipauthority.com - or phone 508-477-8600.

Hy-Line Cruises has canceled several morning ferry runs, according to its website. Remaining ferry trips will be on a trip-by-trip basis.

Nearly 3,000 commercial flights were canceled Tuesday into and out of some of the nation's busiest airports, including in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, where Logan Airport advised passengers to expect extremely limited domestic service at least through Wednesday morning, according to The Associated Press.

High winds and seas are expected to continue through Friday.

The National Weather Service predicted that Friday's high tide would produce the heaviest flooding, and Sandwich, once again, is expected to get the worst of it on Cape Cod, with major flooding forecast for the 3 p.m. high tide.

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Cancellations, delays and closings

Public schools in the region are closed today and many events were canceled in advance of the storm.

- Independence House offices are closes today, but the 24-hour hotline is never closed. HOTLINE: 800-439-6507.

- All outpatient clinics at Gosnold on Cape Cod will be closed today and will reopen with regular business hours tomorrow..

- Mashpee town offices will open at 10 a.m. today

- The Registry of Motor Vehicles offices on Nantucket are closed today, while Martha's Vineyard will open at 9 a.m., according to its website: http://www.massrmv.com Road tests scheduled for today in South Yarmouth, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard are canceled. Customers should reschedule their test online or by calling 857-368-8000.

- Falmouth town offices are OPEN today but schools are closed. A special school committee meeting at 5 p.m. and public information session on the fiscal year 2015 budget at 6 p.m., both to be held at Falmouth High School, are still on as of this morning.

- Wednesday night's Mashpee school committee meeting has been postponed until Jan. 29.

- Barnstable Town Hall will have a delayed opening today at 11 a.m.

- Orleans town hall, library and senior center closed for the day

- Provincetown Town Hall closed today

- Dennis Town Hall closed today

- Yarmouth Town Hall and all other town offices closed for the day. Tonight's planning Board meeting canceled.

- Courts will be closed in the following counties today: Barnstable, Bristol, Plymouth, Dukes and Nantucket. The Massachusetts Trial Court has canceled first-day jurors for today in all counties except, Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin.

- ArtsCapeCod informational meeting scheduled for this afternoon in Orleans has been postponed.

- Tonight's Glory of God prayer meeting at First Baptist Church of Pocasset postponed until January 29 at 6: 30 p.m.

- Cotuit Center for the Arts' Salon of Shorts is canceled for tonight.

Cape Cod may have escaped the brunt of the storm, at least in terms of snowfall as of early this morning.

According to WBZ-TV in Boston, South Shore towns were weighing in a snowfall champions from the storm: Norwell, 17.8; Hanover, 16.0; Weymouth, 15.5; Rockland, 15.0; Brockton, 13.1; Duxbury 11.0.

Weather observers on the Cape - and as reported by the National Weather Service - logged snow totals as of late last night that ranged from a high of 5.5 inches in Hyannis to a low of 2.2 inches in East Falmouth. But those numbers have only climbed since.